Rachel
Lecturer in Counselling
Had you of asked me 7 years ago was I going to become a teacher I would have said no. It was never on my radar. I was training to be a councillor and that was my sole focus. During my training there were many aspects that I really enjoyed; delivering information to my peers, clients and to organisations I was working for. After one presentation during my Level 6 Bachelor top up year, my tutor asked whether I had ever thought about teaching, and that was where my career in teaching began!
At that point I was unaware of how that conversation was going to change my life. I have now been teaching now for 2 ½ years. I feel privileged each and every time I walk into my classroom, every time I welcome a new group of learners and every time I refer to myself as teacher. My tutor Barbara inspired me to take that leap. My Level 2 tutor Tash, is now my manager and someone who inspires me to be the best teacher I can be.
I am now a qualified Level 6 counsellor. Alongside teaching I remain in industry and the balance is brilliant. I get to utilise my qualification to its maximum. As a permanent member of staff at Weston College I also get to undertake my teaching qualification so come September I will be a student yet again which suits me fine, I wasn’t quite ready to finish my education journey!
Like I said becoming a teacher was not part of the plan and it was something I never thought I could do! It might be something you don’t think you can do, but how will you know until you try?